Why can't you reheat pasta in a microwave, grill, or wok?

Why can't you reheat pasta in a microwave, grill, or wok? - Macaroni With Tomato and Grilled Chicken

I understand that to reheat pasta it must be done by boiling in water. Why must this be the case?

Why can't you just microwave it, stir fry, or even quickly grill it?



Best Answer

If you're going to reheat pasta, microwaving is a good way. Adding a few drops of water and covering helps the texture if it doesn't have sauce already on it.

You can actually do something close to a stir fry - heat some oil and use it to cook tasty ingredients (onions, garlic, herbs, spices) and then stir in the pasta (and things like olives or sweetcorn that might want heating but don't need cooking) over a gentle heat until hot enough to serve.

Grilling is less good, but still not impossible for some dishes. For bare pasta it will dry out it, but immerse in sauce and top with cheese and you can get something nice. Strictly speaking the grill doesn't do the reheating, the (hot) sauce does - a grill would burn the top before the bottom is hot.




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Is it OK to reheat pasta in the microwave?

Baked pasta and sauced pasta can be reheated in the microwave. Place the leftover pasta on a plate or in a microwave safe baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving one corner open slightly to allow steam to escape.

Why does it say not to reheat pasta?

On reheating, you may well not get it high enough or high for long enough to kill any bacteria, and its density makes it even more difficult to remove any built up toxins those potential bad guys may have produced.

Can you reheat noodles in a wok?

Reheat your Chinese food in a pan on the stove. Forget the microwave and certainly don't open the oven. All you need is a wok or large pan, a little bit of oil and a moderate amount of heat.

Can you reheat already cooked pasta?

Add a little water to a microwave safe container or bowl, with your leftover pasta. Zap for 30-60 seconds, remove, stir well, zap again, and repeat until well heated. The steam from the water will revive your pasta and give you a more even heating.



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More answers regarding why can't you reheat pasta in a microwave, grill, or wok?

Answer 2

Uncooked pasta (fresh, partly dried or fully dried) needs to be boiled in water because it needs to absorb water in order to become soft.

Pasta which has already been fully cooked, ready to eat, and then cooled down (i.e. leftovers) already contains enough water. So it can be reheated in any way you like. However, microwaving pasta leftovers without a sauce or with a "fat only" sauce (such as spaghetti aglio e olio, with just garlic and olive oil) will result in a somewhat peculiar texture. So either microwave together with a "watery" sauce, or stir-fry (or find out that you like it that way). With grilling you need to be careful not to dry the pasta out too much.

There is a third variety: Asian-style noodles are often sold in pre-cooked and then dried form. Since they are dried, they also need to absorb water. You typically soak them in hot but not boiling water. I have never seen European-style pasta in that form, but still included this for completeness.

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